Slat for chain-link fence



Dec. 5, 1967 w. H. TAYLOR 3,356,343

SLAT Fc-R CHAIN-LINK FENC Filed oct. 23, 1965 2 SheetsSheet UnitedStates Patent O 3,356,343 SLAT FOR CHAIN-LINK FENCE William H. Taylor,Los Angeles, Calif. (5510 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, Calif. 90230)Filed Oct. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 503,092 4 Claims. (Cl. 256-34) ABSTRACT FTHE DISCLOSURE The combination of a chain-link fence and a fence slatreceived in a channel defined by the fence and having detent-typehooking and latching tabs integrally formed on the slat for engagementwith a wire in the fence to lock the slat in place.

Chain-link fence has come into widespread use to satisfy-a variety offencing requirements. Such fences are formed from a fabric of interwovenstrands or heavy-gage wire, and are typically supported between a seriesof upright posts secured in the ground or in some other foundation. Theintertwined-wire construction forms a fence having square ordiamond-shaped apertures. Thus, while such fences are very strong, theydo not provide privacy or serve as a windbreak due to the aperturedconstruction.

To combine the desired structural characteristics of a chain-link fencewith the vision-obstructing and windbreaking qualities of a conventionalsolid fence, several different styles of slats have been proposed foruse with ychain-link fence. Typical designs are desc1ibed in U.S.Patents 2,760,759 and 3,069,142 which show a series of elongated slatsengaged with the fence fabric to provide privacy and wind protection.

A fence slat used for this purpose should include some means forsecuring an end of the slat to the chain-link fence in order to simplifyinstallation of the slat, and to prevent inadvertent dislodgment of theinstalled slat. The securing systems provided in existing slats,however, are unsatisfactory from several standpoints.

Some slats include a tab extending from one end, and the tab is bentaround a strand in the fence to fasten the slat in place. The tab,however, is not anchored in place, and is easily bent out of positionwhereby the slat is no longer firmly secured to the fence strand.Alternatively, some slats may have bendable tabs stamped out of the bodyof the slat. Such known arrangements, however, do not incorporate meansfor conveniently locking the tab to the fence strand, and the slat maybe inadvertently dislodged from the fence. Furthermore, many suchexisting tabs are slow and awkward to engage with the fence, increasingoverall assembly costs.

The slat of this invention overcomes the objections to prior designs byincorporating a hooking tab and a latching tab which cooperate to form adetent fastener for securing an end of the slat to a chain-link fence.The term detent fastener is used in this application in the sense ofdescribing a fastener having a resilient or compliant hooking tab whichcan readily be pulled into engagement with a fence strand, but whichcannot be disengaged from the strand by simply reversing the directionof relative motion between the hooking tab and strand because egressfrom the hooking tab is blocked by a latching tab.

The hooking and latching tabs are quickly and economically stamped fromthe body of the slat in a single operation. The detent fastener providedby these two types of tabs allows the slat to be locking engaged with astrand in the chain-link fence by a fast and very straightforwardinstallation procedure. Assembly cost of the fence is thereby reduced,and the slats present a uniform, attractive appearance in the finishedfence.

Briefly stated, the invention includes an elongated slat ice which isreceivable in a channel formed by intersecting wire strands in achain-link fence. A hooking tab is integrally formed with the body ofthe slat and is spaced from one end of the slat. A latching tab isintegrally formed on either the hooking tab or on the body of the slat.The tabs are positioned whereby the hooking tab may he readily engagedwith a strand in the chain-link fence, and the latching tab restrainsthe strand from passing out of engagement with the hooking tab. The tabsthus combine to conform a simple detent fastener by which a slat isreadily secured to a fence strand by a single motion of the slat acrossthe strand.

Several embodiments of the invention will be described in detail withreference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of a portion of a chain-link fence incorporatingseveral fence slats according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a View along line 2 2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view along line 3-3 of FIG. l;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a presently preferred form of the fenceslat of this invention;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, but showing the slat in lockingengagement with a fence strand;

FIG. 6 is a view along lines 6 6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a first alternative form of theinvention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 7 but showing the Slat inlocking engagement with a fence strand;

FIG. 9 is a view along line 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective View of a second alternative form of theinvention;

FIG. 11 is aiview similar to FIG. 10 but showing the slat in lockingengagement with a fence strand;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged View along line 12-12 of FIG. 1l;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a third alternative form of theinvention;

FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIG. 13 but showing the slat in lockingengagement with a fence strand; and

FIG. 15 is a view along line 15-15 of FIG. 14.

Referring to FIG. l, a typical chain-link fence 10 is formed from aseries of interwoven, generally vertically oriented pairs of strands 11and 12 of relatively heavy-gage wire. The ends of the two strandsforming each strand pair are twisted together to form a row of barbs 14along the top and bottom of the fence.

Strands 11 and 12 descend from the upper barb and extend away from eachother to intersect and wrap around a respective strand in the adjoiningstrand pairs. After these intersections, strands 11 and 12 convergetoward each other to intersect and wrap around each other. The strandsthereafter again diverge to intersect and wrap around respective strandsin the adjoining strand pairs. The intersecting wire strands thus form afence having a series of square or diamond-shaped openings 16.

The strand intersections and the strands extending between theintersections combine to form a series of diagonally oriented valleys orchannels in the fence. Referring to FIG. 2, a first set of parallelchannels 18 is formed by the intersections and strands, and thesechannels open toward the viewer and extend diagonally across the fencefrom upper right to lower left as viewed in FIG. l. Referring to FIG. 3,a second set of parallel channels 20 is formed by the intersections andstrands, and these channels open away from the viewer and extenddiagonally across the fence from upper left to lower right as viewed inFIG. 1.

The weaving process by which the fence is fabricated causes the strandsforming the body of each channel to be slightly bowed away from the openside of the channel as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The strand intersectionsform a shallow groove 22 on each side of the channel, and parallel setsof linearly aligned intersections form a pair of inwardly turnedlongitudinal edges on each channel.

This type of fence also defines a third set of parallel channels whichextend vertically, and a fourth set of parallel channels which extendhorizontally. For example, if a single strand 11 is viewed from above,it defines a vertically extending channel. Similarly, the family ofconverging (or diverging) strands 11 and 12 which lie along a horizontalline define a horizontal channel. These channels are narrower thanchannels 18 and 20, and do not have an open face as they are closed bythe strands which define them. The fence slat of this invention iSpreferably used in the diagonally extending channels as slatinstallation is considerably simplified by using these open channels.

A fence slat means 30 constructed according to the invention is shown inFIGS. 4-6. The slat is preferably formed from an elongated piece lofthin, resilient or flexible sheet metal having a curved or archedcrosssection. The slat is very similar in appearance to a venetian-blindlath, and can be formed from the same aluminum sheet stock used tofabricate such laths. The slat can be produced in any convenient length,depending upon the dimensions of the chain-link fence in which the slatis to be used.

A tab means such as a hooking tab 31 is positioned near an end 33 of theslat, and is formed by lancing a threesided cut through the body of theslat. Preferably, the cut is made so the longitudinal sides of the tabtaper inwardly toward each other. The tab is bent upwardly from theconvex surface of the slat and then downwardly toward an end 34 of thetab to form a nest 35 which receives a wire strand in the fence.Preferably, end 34 of the hooking tab is bent upwardly away from theconvex slat surface to guide the wire strand into the nest.

A pair of latching tabs 37 are formed on the slat body on opposite sidesof the hooking tab and in lateral alignment with nest 35. Preferably,the latching tabs are formed by lancing a pair of cuts through the slatbody on opposite sides of the hooking tab, the cuts extending firstlaterally across the slat toward the hooking tab and then extendingtransversely away from slat end 33 and toward the center of the slatbody. The resulting latching tabs are bent upwardly from the convexsurface of the slat, and a lateral edge 38 on each latching tab isthereby positioned to engage and trap a wire strand of the fence in nest35.

Preferably, longitudinal edges 40 on each side of the slat adjacent end33 are tapered inwardly toward each other. A section of reduced width isthereby formed in the slat to simplify positioning of the slat in thechainlink fence channel during engagement of the hooking and latchingtabs with a fence strand. The several tabs and the tapered longitudinaledges of the slat may be conveniently formed in a single stampingoperation using conventional dies and stamping techniques.

To install the slat in a chain-link fence, the slat is positioned withits convex side in the open side of one of the diagonally extendingchannels 18 in the fence, with end 34 of the hooking tab positionedimmediately above the uppermost strand in the channel. The slat is thenpulled downwardly, and the strand passes between the slat body and thehooking tab, moving upwardly over the ramplike surface of the latchingtabs. When the strand reaches nest 35 of the hooking tab, it dropsdownwardly against the slat surface off the ramp-like surface of thelatching tabs into engagement with edges 38. As shown in FIGS. and 6,the fence strand is urged against the slat body by the hooking tab, andis trapped in the nest of the hooking tab by latching tabs 37. Thehooking and latching tabs thus combine to form a detent-type fastenerwhich is readily engageable with the fence strand and which locks thestrand securely in place against the slat body.

When the slat has been secured to the top strand in the fence channel,the slat is then pressed into the full length of the channel as shown inFIG. l. This is conveniently done by passing a roller along the lengthof the concave side of the slat, the edges of the slat yieldinglypassing the longitudinal edges of the channel to snap into shallowgrooves 22 on each side of the channel. The slat is thereby trapped bythe inwardly turned longitudinal edges of the channel, and is preventedfrom moving longitudinal out of the channel by the detent fastener whichis locked around the uppermost strand in the channel.

The slat may also be installed with its concave side toward the openface of the channel by manually compressing the slat edges toward eachother so the slat can pass the inwardly turned longitudinal edges of thechannel to engage grooves 22 at each strand intersection. Normally,however, the slat is installed with its convex side toward the open faceof the channel as this makes possible the use of a roller to force theslat into engagement with the fence quickly and easily.

As shown in FIG. 1, sufficient slats may be installed in the fence tocover all the parallel, diagonally extending channels 18 in the areawhere privacy or a windbreak is desired. For decorative purposes, or toprovide additional locking of the slats, a second set of spaced-apartslats may be installed in the fence to extend approximatelyperpendicularly to the already installed slats. Such locking slats mustbe threaded into channels 20 from the upper or lower edge of the fenceas the normally open faces of channels 20 are now closed by the slatsinstalled in channels 18. A slat need not be installed in each channel20, the desired locking action being provided by installation of a slatin every fifth or even every tenth channel 20. The locking slats may beidentical to slats 30 as installed in channels 18, and may be locked inplace by securing the detent fastener on the slat around a fence strandwhen the threading operation is complete.

The specific form of hooking and latching tabs described above isespecially advantageous in that slats carrying these tabs may be neatlynested together for compact storage and shipment. The ramp-like shape ofthe latching tabs and the tapered sides of the hooking tab minimize anytendency for adjacent slats in a nested stack to engage or hang up onone another. That is, individual slats are easily removed from thenested stack as the nested tabs on adjacent slats separate readilywithout tending to engage or adhere to one another.

A rst alternative form of the invention is shown in FIGS. 7-9, andincludes a slat 43 carrying a pair of laterally spaced-apart hookingtabs 44. The hooking tabs are formed in the same manner as tab 31described above, and are located near the upper end of the slat. Alateral cut is made in the body of the slat between the two hookingtabs, and the side of the cut away from the end of the slat is bentupwardly away from the convex surface of the slat to form a latching tab45. The side of the cut toward the end of the slat may be disheddownwardly toward the concave surface of the slat to form a seat 46 forthe fence strand adjacent latching tab 45. The latching tab is inlateral alignment with the nest area of the hooking tabs, and a fencestrand 12 can be engaged in the detent fastener formed by these tabs inthe manner described above and as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

A second alternative form of the invention is shown in FIGS. 10-12, andincludes a slat 50 carrying a single hooking tab 51 adjacent one endthereof. The surface of the hooking tab is lanced to form a latching tab52 which is bent to extend toward the end of the slat under a nest 53 inthe hooking tab. As shown in FIGS. 11 and l2, the slat is engaged withstrand 12 in the fence by drawing the hooking tab downwardly over thestrand until the strand is trapped in the nest of the hooking tab bylatching tab 52 A third alternative form of the invention is shown inFIGS. 13-15, and includes a slat 60 which carries a pair of oppositelyoriented hooking tabs 61 and 62. The hooking tabs are positionedadjacent an end 63 of the Slat, with tab 61 opening away from the slatend and tab 62 opening toward the slat end. A latching tab 64 is formedin each of the hooking tabs. The slat is initially positioned at anangle -to fence strand 12 (as shown in phantom in FIG. 14) with thestrand passing under the open ends of the hooking tabs. The slat is thenrotated counterclock- Wise as viewed in FIG. 14 whereby the strand islocked under the hooking tabs by latching tabs 64 as shown in FIG. 15.

Although the invention has been described with reference to installationin diagonally extending channels in a chain-link fence, it is alsousable in vertical and horizontal closed channels which are formed bythe fabric of this type of fence. Installation in the open diagonallyextending channels is preferred, however, as the slats can be snappedinto place without threading except for whatever locking slats may beused. Other forms of the hooking and latching tabs which form the detentfastener on the slat will suggest itself to those skilled in the art,and it is intended that all such forms fall within the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a chain-link fence, the fence being woven ofintersecting wire strands and forming a series of channels, theimprovement comprising slat means formed from a resilient material andbeing elongated, transversely arched, and received in one of thechannels, a hooking tab means cut from and integrally secured to thebody of the slat and spaced from one end of the slat in engagement withone of the fence strands, and a latching tab cut from and integrallysecured to one of said means and positioned to restrain the strand frommoving out of engagement with the hooking tab means.

Z. In combination with a chain-link fence, the fence being woven ofintersecting wire strands and forming a series of channels, theimprovement comprising a slat formed from a resilient material and beingelongated, transversely arched, and received in one of the channels, ahooking tab cut from and integrally secured to the body of the slat andspaced from one end of the slat in engagement with one of the fencestrands, and a latching tab cut from, integrally secured to, andextending from the hooking tab to restrain the strand from moving out ofengagement with the hooking tab.

3. In combination with a chain-link fence, the fence being woven ofintersecting wire strands and forming a series of channels, theimprovement comprising a slat formed from a resilient material and beingelongated, transversely arched, and received in one of the channels, aresilient hooking tab cut from and integrally secured to the body of theslat and spaced from one end of the slat in engagement with one of thefence strands, and a latching tab cut from, integrally secured to, andextending from the slat ladjacent the hooking tab to restrain the Strandfrom moving out of engagement with the hooking tab.

4. In combination with a chain-link fence, the fence being woven ofintersecting wire strands and forming a series of channels, theimprovement comprising a slat formed from a resilient material and beingelongated, transversely arched, and received in one of the channels, aresilient hooking tab cut from and integrally secured to the body of theSlat and spaced from one end of the slat in engagement with one of thefence strands, and a pair of latching tabs cut from and integrallysecured to the slat on opposite sides of the hooking tab and positionedto restrain the strand from moving out of engagement with the hookingtab.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 113,872 4/1871 Gill 256-48 X417,077 12/1889' Osborn et al. 256-48 X 644,938 3/1900 Orr 256-48 X1,070,390 8/ 1913 Becker 256-48 1,210,541 1/1917 Ryker 256-47 1,631,8216/1927 Jackson 256-34 3.069,142 12/ 19162 Kessler 256-34 DAVID I.WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

DENNIS L. TAYLOR, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A CHAIN-LINK FENCE, THE FENCE BEING WOVEN OFINTERSECTING WIRE STRANDS AND FORMING A SERIES OF CHANNELS, THEIMPROVEMENT COMPRISING SLAT MEANS FORMED FROM A RESILIENT MATERIAL ANDBEING ELONGATED, TRANSVERSELY ARCHED, AND RECEIVED IN ONE OF THECHANNELS, A HOOKING TAB MEANS CUT FROM AND INTEGRALLY SECURED TO THEBODY OF THE SLAT AND SPACED FROM ONE END OF THE SLAT IN ENGAGEMENT WITHONE OF THE FENCE STRANDS, AND A LATCH-